The Open Session at the European Commission for the control of foot-and-mouth disease (EUFMD) is regarded as one of the world’s premier FMD conferences. Andre van Halderen and Eve Pleydell from MPI attended this two-yearly event and have returned with some useful insights. The theme for this year’s open session was Where science and policy meet: FMD risk management in a world of changing disease landscapes.

Overall, the conference highlighted the ongoing challenges that the control of FMD presents at both the country and global levels. In particular we’re seeing previously unimportant strains emerging in North Africa and the Middle East and this is of considerable concern to Europe. There was also a very interesting update on the situation in Asia, including the changing strains involved. Not surprisingly, the need for maintaining robust border and pre-border controls was also highlighted.

David Payten went on a trip to Nepal last March with a group of 100 vets to look into the effects of foot and mouth disease in a country where it is endemic and to learn how to recognise it in infected animals.Foot and mouth disease is a disease which mainly infects cloven hoofed animals (cattle, sheep, goats pigs) although camels can be infected.

Training in Nepal in the recognition, diagnosis,investigation and control of foot and mouth disease including seeing the disease has been invaluable in protecting New Zealand's vital exports.Prevention against one of New Zealand's biggest biosecurity risks -- foot and mouth disease (FMD) -- has been given a leg-up with specialist training in Nepal.DairyNZ veterinarian Anna Irwin recently returned from Kathmandu, Nepal, where she was part of a five-day training camp run by the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease.

DairyNZ veterinarian Anna Irwin recently returned from Kathmandu, Nepal, where she was part of a five-day training camp run by the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease.She says the experience highlighted the pivotal role New Zealand dairy farmers play in detecting the disease early. <img src="/imagegen.ashx?image=/796815/anna-irwin-looking-at-cases.jpg&constraint=true&compression=80" alt="Farmers key in foot and mouth detection" class="" />

DairyNZ veterinarian Anna Irwin recently returned from Kathmandu, Nepal, where she was part of a five-day training camp run by the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease.

She says the experience highlighted the pivotal role New Zealand dairy farmers play in detecting the disease early.

"I found seeing the disease invaluable," says Anna. "But it also brought home the importance of being alert on farms. Anyone working with livestock on a daily basis is in the best position to be our number one surveillance force."Foot and mouth is one of our biggest biosecurity risks, so we need to be prepared. The quicker something is picked up, the better our response will be." Along with farmers keeping an eye out for signs, their use of New Zealand's biosecurity systems, such as NAIT (National Animal Identification and Tracing), will help prevent an outbreak

The EuFMD real time training course in Nepal in June 2014 included Dr Katie Hickey BVetMed MRCVS | Adviser Animals, Marine and Food Response | Response | Compliance & Response, Ministry for Primary Industries- New Zealand. This is a radio interview with RadioLiveSport

New Zealand has now joined the well-established Australian FMD training programme in Nepal, which has engaged the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation to provide veterinarians and key livestock industry representatives the opportunity to experience FMD in the field. New Zealand Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy and Australian Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce have signed a memorandum of understanding to emphasise the importance of collaboration. "Our No1 plan and focus of much of our biosecurity efforts is to keep FMD out of Australia and New Zealand," Joyce said. "But you can't stick your head in the sand about something this significant, you have to plan for the worst.

In response to the risk the Commonwealth Federal Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) convened and funded a FMD training program for veterinarians in Nepal. Dr Hall was nominated for a place and supported in her travel by the Faculty of Veterinary Science.

Twenty vets from Australia took part in the training program, visiting communities in Nepal with active foot-and-mouth outbreaks.

Dr Hall says they worked in epidemiological and clinical teams, took samples and used the local reference laboratories and ‘penside tests’ to confirm the disease

Ministry of Primary Industries veterinarian Katie Hickey speaks to Rachel Smalley on KPMG Early Edition about a trip to Nepal to research Foot and Mouth disease in case an outbreak were to occur in NZ. This is against the framework of the EuFMD Realtime training course.